4/28/09

Many of you know that when we first told Annika that we were expecting, she was absolutely adamant that it would be a 'baby sister.' She said that's what she wanted and she would teach it how to play with her dolls and would feed it a bottle. When pressed as to whether she could accept a a baby brother, she would pause and point at me and say, "You can have the baby brother. I will have the baby sister."

No, we are not having twins but we are having...a baby brother! Chris was convinced it was a girl and I had an inkling it was a boy, but you're never quite prepared for the official unveiling.

Chris and I are very excited, but disappointed for Annika who has become increasingly interested in the baby and had further asserted her insistence that it would be nothing but a girl. In fact, she had a few favorite names - Gabriela and Cutie Pie were her current favorites.

So, with a little trepidation and a lot of fear, we sat her down this evening to break the news. I brought her on my lap as Chris sat across from us and I said, "Baby - we have big news!  We found out if you're having a baby brother or baby sister today."

Annika raised her eyebrows.  "You did?..." she asked.

I said, "Yes!  It's a....baby brother!!!" And with much excitement as I could muster (the trepidation still a factor) I announced the news in a stage whisper with my lips pressed to her little ear.

Annika's face registered the news, and she sat for a second or two thinking about it. Finally, she hopped off the couch and starting jumping up and down, "A baby brother!  A baby brother! Yay yay yay!!!"  With big smiles she ran up and down the room and was genuinely excited about the news.

Chris and I hope that this new baby is as amazing as Annika.  Of course he will be. But wow, with moments like this, I do wonder.

Prayers

Many of you in the LA area - and beyond - know all too well about the Triangle Complex Fire. It's amazing how quickly it's moved and as it drew closer to the place where my parents call home (and I did for 11 years), I watched with trepidation. On Sunday morning, I checked online to discover that my parents' neighborhood had been evacuated.

I called them immediately and they were in a restaurant with my brother and his wife (they live in an area well away from the fire) and seemed a little shell-shocked, but completely safe. They had a hotel room and seemed to be ready for whatever came their way.

I, of course, immediately started crying, which I'm sure is the last thing they needed...but I'm hormonal! Anyway, I held vigil for the rest of the afternoon hoping that the firefighters would do their magic (and magic it is) to keep the fire safely at bay. They have...so far. God bless them.

It appears that we're mostly out of the woods and I say that with hesitation because the winds could change at any time. But it certainly gave me pause about family and possessions and how although I knew my parents were physically safe, to have to face the thought of your home going up in smoke....well, it's a lot. They are just "things" but those "things" are memories and hopes and physical representations of success and a lifetime. I'm so grateful that they have not had to deal with the worse possible outcome and my prayers go out to those who have had to face it. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

I love you Mommy & Daddy! Annika said she was worried about you and was thinking about you. Me too.

P.S. A quick prayer for the Taylors who also were evacuated. Much love to you - sounds like you are also safe, and I will continue to pray that remains the case.

Before & After: Guest Bedroom

The guest bedroom originally doubled as an office and a toy room. And when we had guests, they slept there.  You can imagine the sweeping "edits" we had to do to the room each time we had guests - cleaning up toys and papers and making room for a queen-sized air bed. Good times!

This is what it used to look like:

Now it's a dedicated guest room and I took a chance on the color because well, I don't sleep there!  Also, check out the shutters...part of my "vision."  The color turned out better than I thought and the hardwood floors give it a really nice clean look.  I kinda wish this was my room.

P.S. I know you're all much more interested in "NotAnnika". Don't worry - more to come!  xoxo

NotAnnika

Annika's 3rd Halloween

As promised, pictures of Annika...she requested to be a "nice witch."  Just so happens that the costume at Target is called exactly that. Destiny!

Annika very much enjoyed trick-or-treating, but the real action was back at the house where she gave kids their candy. It was definitely the highlight of her night.

Happy (belated) Halloween!

Before & After: The "Big Room"

Before the remodel, our kitchen had an attached family room that we really used more as a living room.  Our living room, in the front of the house, was bigger and was better suited to our TV and general living space. When the new house was conceived, I was really looking for a way to incorporate the kitchen more in our lifestyle - basically, I needed to be forced to cook. And one way was to have the TV and the life of the house in one room - the "big room."

It's not a novel idea, but was for us. Neither Chris nor I grew up in a house with a combined kitchen/family room, so we looked forward to having it in all one space. The result was the house was pushed out to its side, to make a bigger kitchen and the back of the house was slightly pushed out for our "breakfast nook." (Which is really where our kitchen table is...we don't just eat breakfast there - we eat lunch and dinner, too. :))

Anyway, here's what it looked like before:

Note the upper cabinets over the island that really doesn't allow anyone in the kitchen to interact with the family room. It sorta sucked.

The one thing I loved about the old kitchen space was the flooring - hardwood hickory. LOVED IT. It was what we designed the new kitchen around and I love it just as I did 3 years ago. That was a pleasant. We switched out white appliances for stainless steel, white cabinets and a darker brown island. I also insisted on Caesarstone countertops - though granite can be really beautiful, in all the houses we had toured during last summer when we thought we might move, *everyone* did granite. I also love the matte, smooth look of the one color.

Let me know what you think of the finished product - this is by far my favorite room of the house:









The only issue I have with this room is a lack of color. I only have one wall to add some...so still working on that. Donations welcome. (Just kidding, that would be rude!)

P.S. Halloween pictures of Annika to come....stay tuned.